Violin



No. 625,058. Patented May I6, I899.

-C. POWERS. I

VIOLIN.

(Application filed .nm'. 11, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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M'Z/G/W WWW 1 W UNITED STATES PATENT OFEIcE.

CLARK POWERS, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

VIOLIN.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 625,058, dated May 16, 1899;

Application filed January 11, 1899. Serial No. 701,785. (No an.)

T0 (LZZ whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARK PowEEs, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Violins, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to violins and instruments of a like character; and its object is to improve the tone of such instruments.

The theory on which I carry out my invention is that the body of, the violin or related instrument and the air inclosed thereby should be as nearly as possible in equilibrium or even balance on either side of the center of tone generationnamely, the bridge and post. In other words, the center of gravity and the center of air distribution should coincide as nearly as possible with the position of the bridge and post[ In violins as heretofore constructed the center of gravity of the body has commonly been located from one-quarter to three-quarters of an inch forward of the bridge, while the internal air-chamber has commonly been of larger size behind the bridge than in front thereof. This unequal distribution of weight and air does not, I conceive, give the best possible tone results, and I propose to remedy this diificulty by means of the hereinafter-described construction of parts.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a horizontal sectional view of a violin con-- structed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 represents a'vertical sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the violin-body balances when supported on the transverse line of the bridge.

The same reference characters indicate the ance with my invention, however, I propose to bring the center of gravity of the Violinsions in ordinary violins. The distribution of the material may be varied within limits, as desired, so long as a proportionate increase and decrease is maintained as described. Thus in the drawings the thickest parts of the belly a are at a, a and a Also the neck-block d and the two corner-blocks f f, which lie forward of the violin-waist, are reduced in size, their usual dimensions being indicated by the broken lines, while their dimensions when constructed in accordance with my invention are represented by full lines. The tail-block e and the two corner-blocksf f lying behind the violin-waist are,on the contrary,increased in size, as represented by full lines, over their normal size, which is indicated by broken lines. When the required amount of alteration has been made, the violin-body will bal ance on a suspending-cord passed through thefholes, as indicated in Fig. 3.

By altering the size of the blocks and changing the belly and back, as described, to an amount which brings the center of gravity of v the violin-body back to the line of the bridge the air-spaces included, respectively, in front of and behind such line will also be made more nearly equal in volume, as the larger air-space has been partly filled up and the smaller one increased in size over the normal. The result of the entire change and redistribution is to produce longer singing tones of p a fuller and more musical quality when the instrument is played, as the resistance offered to the vibrating strings is not only minimized to the lowest degree, but is at the same time equally distributed from the central impact or seat of tone generation. This principle will also allow of considerable more wood throughout the whole vibrating body and eradicates a too-common error which now exists of regraduating violins too thinlya natural outgrowth of imperfect construction.

I claim- 1. A violin or similar instrument having a body so constructed that its center of gravity lies at a point coinciding with the position of the bridge.

2. A violin or similar instrument having a belly thickened behind the bridge and reduced in thickness in front of the bridge, and further provisions whereby the center of gravity of the violin-body is brought to a point coinciding with the position of the bridge.

3. A violin or similar instrument so constructed that its body incloses equal airspaces in front of and behind the bridge.

4:. A violin or similar instrument having its end and corner blocks behind the bridge in creased in size above the normal and its end and corner blocks in front of the bridge di= minished in size below the normal, and further provisions whereby the center of gravity of the violin-body is brought to a point coinciding with the position of the bridge.

5. A violin having a body inclosing equal air-spaces in front of and behind the bridge, and so constructed that the center of gravity of said body lies at a point coinciding with the position of the bridge.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my sig nature in presence of two witnesses.

CLARK POWERS. lVitnessesi O. F. BROWN, E. BATCHELDER. 

